we have jim cantor e, he's hole up at the ritz bar down at battery park. we're journalists. >> mike seidel in hell's kitchen. >> exactly. >> let's get right to the weather. the beginning of sandy's effects are arriving up and down the mid-atlantic. winds are expected to reach 90 miles an hour, and already those living near the water have been forced evacuate. today it's expected to hook west and take aim at the northeast coast, leaving tens of millions of people just hours now to prepare. the entire new york city transit system is shut down. schools are closed along with those in baltimore, boston and washington, d.c. meteorologist bill karins is here with the very latest on the hurricane. bill. >> good morning to you, mika. and this storm is on schedule. nothing has changed. if anything, it's a little stronger than what we thought it would be at this point. and it's going to be moving on shore within the next 12 to 18 hours. this will be a 24-hour period for areas from the northern mid-atlantic, washington, d.c., all the way through boston that a lot of u